Sacred Doors: An Origin Story
Sacred Doors Mission Center will provide a physical space and a professional clergy person dedicated to a full-time ministry of hosting mission teams, as well as individuals and groups on retreat, with a focus on integrating theological reflection on current social issues with spiritual practices of service, hospitality, and community. Needs in the community will be presented in an invitational and hospitable way, while providing a venue in which to learn more about how mission participants can connect and serve in a spiritual and significant way with those on the margins of Denver’s society.
Observed Need:
The Mountain Sky Conference (MTSC) in the Metropolitan District and the Denver Metropolitan area has need for a long-term ministry that provides a place of retreat and mission for all ages. Many mission teams come to the Denver Metro area to help those who are materially poor and to learn about the needs of the marginalized. Service agencies in the Denver Metropolitan area report a great need for volunteers who are willing to minister side-by-side with those in this community who have been displaced to the margins. Yet there are few locations that officially host and coordinate such volunteer teams, and none with a United Methodist identity. And there are even fewer retreat centers in the Metro Area that are available for silent retreats, renewal retreats, or other retreats focused on individual or communal spiritual reflection and practice.
Meanwhile, the Barnum neighborhood, where Bethany UMC is located, has specific challenges that would benefit from an active and vibrant ongoing United Methodist presence that helps concretize the presence of God’s love.
Bethany UMC is over 100 years old and has been in its current location for over 60 years. Bethany UMC is a firm part of this community, and the need to be seen as a welcoming and active place is essential to Bethany’s continued ministry as well as the community’s identity. Yet in recent years, Bethany has struggled to maintain a worshiping congregation that can financially sustain the costs of the building and pastoral leadership.
The Barnum neighborhood, of which Bethany UMC is a part, is a diverse neighborhood of people who live on the brink of poverty. The demographics show a 76% Latinx community while 23% of the population is Caucasian. The neighborhood is made of primarily families and 68% of the population has no college education. The neighborhood has longed for cohesiveness over the past years as some local politicians and real estate professionals have looked at gentrifying the area. There are several non-profits located in the area, as well as independent small churches that seem to be attractive to the neighbors in that area, as indicated by the number of cars in parking lots of the churches.
The MTSMRC offers a new model for ministry, mission, and financial sustainability that would enable the Bethany congregation to continue in its current space, while expanding the benefit of the physical building to serve both the needs of the surrounding community and the needs of individuals and groups seeking experiences of spiritual reflection, service, and hospitality.
Theologically structured learning through participation in the Mission/Retreat Center offers a deeper connection with others and with the world. As part of our mission, Sacred Stones Ministries will provide a safe, sacred, and theologically sound mission experience in an urban setting that shares with the wider church. Experiences at the mission center are open to all at any time during the year. Guided experiences bring the staff’s knowledge and familiarity with the Denver Metro area to those who wish to travel from around the United States.
Observed Need:
The Mountain Sky Conference (MTSC) in the Metropolitan District and the Denver Metropolitan area has need for a long-term ministry that provides a place of retreat and mission for all ages. Many mission teams come to the Denver Metro area to help those who are materially poor and to learn about the needs of the marginalized. Service agencies in the Denver Metropolitan area report a great need for volunteers who are willing to minister side-by-side with those in this community who have been displaced to the margins. Yet there are few locations that officially host and coordinate such volunteer teams, and none with a United Methodist identity. And there are even fewer retreat centers in the Metro Area that are available for silent retreats, renewal retreats, or other retreats focused on individual or communal spiritual reflection and practice.
Meanwhile, the Barnum neighborhood, where Bethany UMC is located, has specific challenges that would benefit from an active and vibrant ongoing United Methodist presence that helps concretize the presence of God’s love.
Bethany UMC is over 100 years old and has been in its current location for over 60 years. Bethany UMC is a firm part of this community, and the need to be seen as a welcoming and active place is essential to Bethany’s continued ministry as well as the community’s identity. Yet in recent years, Bethany has struggled to maintain a worshiping congregation that can financially sustain the costs of the building and pastoral leadership.
The Barnum neighborhood, of which Bethany UMC is a part, is a diverse neighborhood of people who live on the brink of poverty. The demographics show a 76% Latinx community while 23% of the population is Caucasian. The neighborhood is made of primarily families and 68% of the population has no college education. The neighborhood has longed for cohesiveness over the past years as some local politicians and real estate professionals have looked at gentrifying the area. There are several non-profits located in the area, as well as independent small churches that seem to be attractive to the neighbors in that area, as indicated by the number of cars in parking lots of the churches.
The MTSMRC offers a new model for ministry, mission, and financial sustainability that would enable the Bethany congregation to continue in its current space, while expanding the benefit of the physical building to serve both the needs of the surrounding community and the needs of individuals and groups seeking experiences of spiritual reflection, service, and hospitality.
Theologically structured learning through participation in the Mission/Retreat Center offers a deeper connection with others and with the world. As part of our mission, Sacred Stones Ministries will provide a safe, sacred, and theologically sound mission experience in an urban setting that shares with the wider church. Experiences at the mission center are open to all at any time during the year. Guided experiences bring the staff’s knowledge and familiarity with the Denver Metro area to those who wish to travel from around the United States.